Canada loses to Finland, eliminated from world hockey championship

By
Stephen Whyno The Canadian Press

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Canada's Ben Scrivens (right) and Kyle Turris react after Finland's Irio Pakarinen scores against Canada during the Group A Quarterfinal match at the Ice Hockey World Championship in Minsk, Belarus, May 22, 2014. Finland won the game 3-2.

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Kyle Turris and Mark Scheifle scored Canada’s goals, with each one coming in the second period. Goaltender Ben Scrivens finished with 23 saves.

Olli Palola and Juuso Hietanen also scored for Finland.

Canada’s problem of slow starts continued, and its penchant for taking penalties cropped up early and led to Finland’s first goal. After an effective but unsuccessful power play that included Brayden Schenn ringing a shot off the crossbar, defenceman Tyler Myers took a roughing penalty 4:31 in.

With 17 seconds left on that penalty, Hietanen’s attempted point shot deflected off penalty-killer Joel Ward’s stick and right to Palola, whose blast from the middle of the left faceoff circle beat Scrivens to make it 1-0 Finland at 6:14.

Canada wasted its first three power plays in the first period, along with the fourth that bled over into the second frame. But Turris managed to tie things at even strength.

Forcing a turnover at the defensive blue-line, Turris banked the puck off the right wall on a give-and-go with Matt Read, then took the pass back and fired a one-timer in at 5:51 of the second.

Scheifele, one of Canada’s most improved players over the course of the tournament, made it 2-1 at 12:08. With the teams at four a side, Scheifele beat Rinne clean on a two-on-one rush.

Finland tied it 2-2 on a strange goal 28 seconds into the third period. Hietanen’s slapshot hit Scrivens’ blocker, then bounced off the shaft of his stick and trickled in before he could dive back and stop it.

A turnover by Tyler Myers led to Pakarinen’s game-winner.

Notes: Alex Burrows returned to Canada’s lineup after missing the final two preliminary-round games with a leg injury. Burrows was the 13th forward. … Finland’s roster features just three NHL players: Rinne, Olli Jokinen of the Winnipeg Jets and Erik Haula of the Minnesota Wild.